Secrets of the Woods
by gymnast1150
Summary: Cammie Morgan and the sophomore class at the Gallagher Academy are in for the best field trip ever! Sitting around the campfire, roasting marshmallows, and bonding with the best friends...and the boys? Cammie wasn't sure what she had signed up for, but she knew it wasn't this. He's charming, mysterious, and has just enough bad-boy in him to make him irresistible.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm trying to keep the characters the same in personalities and appearances because we all love them the way Ally Carter created them (:, but some things may change to fit the story better. For example, the girls are not spies and they don't go to spy school…sorry.**

**Also, this story is based around the same time as CMH, so hopefully the storyline and the events kind of correspond to one another in some way. The whole thing is still a work in progress so I'm not sure exactly where this is going sooooo hang in there with me (:**

**Lastly, I am not Ally Carter…I do not own the Gallagher Girls or any of the characters!**

* * *

**1. The Big News**

_Field Trip_. Two words that can make any class of students excited, no matter how big or how old. When my sophomore class at the Gallagher Academy was told that we would be going on a class field trip, that's all anyone could talk about. No one knew the actual specifics, but at an all-girls boarding school, that doesn't stop the rumors from flying around.

As I walked down the hallway to my room, all I could hear were conspiracies on what our field trip was going to be and to where. We were going to that big amusement park located a few hours outside of town; we were going to be the first group ever to be spending the night in the white house and partying it up with the president's daughter; we were going into orbit in outer space.

Although that last one was definitely out of the question—and not only cause it would take much longer than a few days to even get into orbit, but because no one would be stupid enough to board that many girls on a space ship for months on end—that didn't stop my smallest and most fragile roommate, Liz Sutton, from freaking out about not having the proper helmet for breathing out in space. I could see the panic rise in her eyes as she walked beside me, passing Tina Walters who was announcing her conspiracy to Anna Fetterman.

"Liz, we're not going into outer space," I assured her. For a genius, she really doesn't use her common sense very often.

"And how would you know, Cammie?" I heard Tina ask from behind me. Leave it to Tina, the daughter of the town's gossip columnist, to overhear and butt her way into a conversation. "Did your mom tell you something?"

And that's the main reason I hate that my mom is the head mistress at the Gallagher Academy. Don't get me wrong, I love having her here and being able to talk to her every day, but when everyone thinks that I'm in the loop that I'm clearly not in and they ask a bunch of questions that I have no idea as to what the answers are, I hate having her in charge.

I turned around, annoyed and irritated by Tina's question. "No, Tina, I don't know anything. I just know that we won't be leaving school for three months to go into orbit. It's just not logical," I told her, bothered by the fact I had to even explain that obvious detail.

"But if you did know something, you would tell us, right?" she asked again, giving me this weird look as if that would make me tell her the information I supposedly had.

I sighed. There was only one way to get her leave me alone. "Yes, Tina. I would tell you if I knew any more details than the rest of you. But I don't. So I'm not." I turned back around and continued into my room, Liz following right behind me.

"So, space is out of the question," Liz stated as she slumped down onto her bed by the window. "What about the amusement park? That's logical, right?"

"Don't forget a lot of fun," Macey Mchenry, our other roommate-slah-comestic-heiress-slash-politician's-daughter, added through the open door to the bathroom. The running water shut off and Macey appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame and saying, "I personally wouldn't mind a day off from school stress."

I opened my mouth, getting ready to remind her that this field trip was supposed to be educational and therefor won't officially be a break from school, but I was cut short by the sudden burst from the closed door at the front of the room. I turned to see our last roommate, Bex Baxter, standing in the doorway with a face so red, it looked as if someone had taken a marker and colored her cheeks with it. She looked as if she was about to scream when she slammed the door closed again and stormed over to her bed, holding her breath the whole way. It wasn't until she plopped down face first onto her fluffy mattress that she let out her horrific, blood curdling scream into her pillow.

I eyed Macey, who returned the exhausted look. Bex was always known for overacting, and from living with her the past three years, I can tell you firsthand how bad her temper tantrums could be. We even have a bull's eye on the back of the door that she throws her alarm clocks at when she's extremely mad to prove it.

Macey, being the brave one, spoke up first. "What's wrong this time, Bex?" she asked, sighing.

Bex flipped over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She avoided eye contact when she said with her thick British accent, "My mum isn't chaperoning the class field trip. She promised me she wasn't going to flake out again!"

I noticed she was eyeing her alarm clock, something Macey's look told me she saw it too. Before we had to explain to my mom that we needed _another_ alarm clock for our room, I positioned myself between her and her prey and sitting on her bed. "I'm sorry your mom isn't going, but you know if there was any way she could've made it, she would've found it. She wouldn't miss this field trip if it wasn't for something important."

She must have decided that the alarm clock wouldn't help this time because she turned away from it and sat up on her elbows. "I guess you're right," she sighed. "My mum wouldn't ditch the field trip knowing how important it is to me unless it was for something big."

"Exactly," Macey exclaimed, happy that the anger was gone and the temper tantrum was slipping away. It wasn't rare that we were able to dodge that bullet, so when we did, it deserved a sigh of relief.

"We still have no idea what the field trip even is," Liz pointed out. She stood in front of her closet, running her eyes over every possible outfit combination. She shook her head and asked, "How do they expect us to pack properly?"

"The field trip is in two weeks," I reminded her. "They aren't expecting you to pack so soon." But of course, Liz was thinking ahead of time like always. I swear, she always had papers and projects done before I even knew one was assigned.

Liz continued to shake her head, unable to comprehend why they would leave out such a vital part of information.

Giggling to herself, Macey stood up, wrapped her arm around Liz's small shoulders, and led her away from the closet. "Come on, my little genius. Let's be normal and wait a little while to start packing."

Liz stopped abruptly and scrunched up her face, disgusted by Macey's remark. "Normal? But that's so…average."

Bex laughed and rolled back over to her stomach, laying her head down on her pillow and turning towards the wall with her back to us. Macey let go of Liz and rolled her eyes, still giggling to herself. And I just sat there, so dumbfounded by how different my friends were.

* * *

It wasn't until a week later that Tina came running up the grand staircase in the middle of the foyer, yelling out my name in a panic.

"Cammie! Cammie Morgan! Has anyone seen Cammie Morg-"

"Tina!" I exclaimed as she approached the top of the stairs. "What's wrong? Is everything okay? Is someone hurt?" I quickly asked, running through all the scenarios in which I was extremely important to find.

Tina shook her head aggressively, trying to catch her breath. "No, no one's hurt…I just…found out…what the field trip is!" she excitedly told me in between deep breaths.

I've never actually met a crazy person before—and I'm talking the kind that needs to be locked up in the mental asylum—but if I ever did see one, I imagine giving them the same look I was giving Tina at that moment. The field trip? _That_ was what was so important? Not that someone fell into the pound out front, was attacked by the giant snapping turtle (rumor has it that it's a record breaking size, but no one has gotten close enough to officially get the measurements), and that my mom or all of the teachers were nowhere to be found, leaving me as their last hope at amputating their half-bitten off arm? Because even that wouldn't have needed such urgency to find me as Tina had running up those stairs.

"You ran across the school, shouting my name at the top of your lungs, and practically giving everyone a heart attack…because you know where we're going for our field trip?" I asked in disbelief. And everyone says Bex was dramatic.

Taking a big deep breath, finally gaining back her normal breathing pattern, Tina looked at me, put her hand on her hip, and snarled, "Do you want to know or not?"

I looked around at all the girls that had stopped to watch us, probably freaked out by Tina's behavior moments earlier. They were all staring at me, waiting with big eyes to finally find out the big mystery as to where the sophomore class was going the following week. Everyone was dying to know, from the little seventh graders to the big-shot seniors. I turned back to Tina and nodded, anxious to find out myself. "Where are we going?"

She looked around, leaned in close, and gave me a wicked smile. She was enjoying this way too much for someone who nearly burst a lung just minutes before. When she finally spoke, it was enough to get the whole crowd buzzing with excitement. I, on the other hand, felt as if the excitement for the trip was slowly draining out of me. The outdoors, the survival skills, the _bugs_! I had never wanted to encounter such a place in my life, and in that moment, the desire to do so was even less.

Why, of all things, would my mom chose for the sophomore class to go camping?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much to those who left reviews! It means a lot to me to hear all your words of encouragement (: Shout out to Sunniva Steiner, , foodislifeyo, miaadventure, and SummerTime15 3**

**I do not own the Gallagher Girls and the characters…remember that.**

**2. The Field Trip Begins**

As much as I hated camping, I could not have been any more excited to step off that bus and onto the campground. Eight hours in a regular school bus with the entire sophomore class was more than enough to make me feel suffocated. I don't know how Bex managed to sleep with everyone screaming the whole time.

Stepping out into the fresh air, I was able to reduce the massive headache I had from breathing in the mixtures of perfume that had engulfed the bus and everyone in it. I couldn't have been the only one bothered by it, but if I wasn't then no one else was showing it. Macey strutted off the bus like it was a catwalk, Anna and Liz both timidly stepped off like they were afraid the bugs would devour them the second their feet touched dirt, and of course Bex walked off the bus with her head held high as if she was ready for whatever challenges lay ahead.

I was definitely the only one who was running off the bus so they didn't choke on perfume any longer and risk suffocating to death.

"Cammie, anxious much?" Macey asked as I knocked straggling people out of my way while I exited the bus.

"I thought you didn't even like camping?" Liz asked, paying too much attention to the woods surrounding us. "You don't think there are wild bears out there, do you?"

"I heard there were," Tina chimed in, squeezing her way in between Liz and I. "I also heard there were mountain lions."

Liz's eyes grew wide as she looked around the circle. Seriously, her common sense is about as bad as Tina's gossip.

"Liz, there are no mountain lions in Virginia," I reminded her, watching the fear drain from her eyes as she recollects the data she knew all along.

"Besides, even if there were, I think we could take them," Bex winked at her, causing the rest of Liz's fear to diminish completely.

"Gallagher girls," I heard my mom announce from the flag pole behind me. Everyone's attention turned to her, which only made her smile. It was a quality that made me wonder if we were actually related, because she loves attention and easily grabs it while I hate it and am the girl that no one sees. I'm practically a chameleon.

"Welcome to Camp KOA, where we will be spending our sophomore class field trip!" my mother exclaimed with too much enthusiasm, but the sophomore class responded back with just as much enthusiasm in their cheers. "Before we begin our planned activities, let's all put our luggage in our assigned cabins and then head on over to the dinning pavilion." She gave one last quick smile before turning and walking straight into the woods. Hesitantly, everyone followed, dragging their bags and suitcases behind them.

Every now and then, she would stop in front of a cabin that was identical to the last and announce who would be staying in it. My hopes were set on the first cabin that was just inside the woods' line, since the further back you go, the further submerged in the woods you become.

My mother had her own plan though.

"Here you girls go," she said to my roommates and I. We were the only ones left that had not been assigned a cabin and were still following her deeper and deeper into the forest. "Cabin 8 looks good." She turned to check out the gloss-covered wood planks that made up the cabin, the beautifully sanded front porch, and the well-lit outside light fixtures. _Good_ was an understatement.

"If you girls have any questions or issues, my cabin and the chaperones' cabins are right over there, Cabins 6 and 7," she told us, flashing us a sweet smile only a mom could give. "Have fun girls."

She started to walk away, but then turned around like she forgot something. "Oh, don't forget to meet back at the dinning pavilion. It'll be the red one!"

And then she was gone.

* * *

"This place isn't too bad," Liz said, placing her suitcase on top of her bed and looking around the room. "It kind of looks like our room at Gallagher."

She was right. There were four beds all spread out about the bedroom, in the back corner was the bathroom, and there was a little desk over by the window. Besides the fact that there were no closets, it was almost exactly designed like our room at the school.

"Except dirtier," Macey added, turning her nose at the dirt dust that covered the floor. "We need to clean this out before I even think about getting comfortable in here."

"We're supposed to be going to the pavilion to meet everyone, Macey. We don't time to 'get comfortable' anyway," Liz reminded us all.

While her and our precocious best friend argued over whether to clean the floor or to meet everyone out by the pavilion like we were told to do, I searched the cabin to get a feel of the place. I went back out to the small living room at the front of the cabin where there were two cozy couches and matching chairs sitting next to an unlit fireplace. The windows had nice little curtains that were pulled shut and there were tidy little desks underneath a few of them. The whole place was cute, like old-person-cute. Definitely not the kind of camping I had in mind, so I was pretty thankful.

"Here's a bloody broom, Macey. Get to cleaning," I heard Bex exclaim from the bedroom, putting an end to all the fuss.

I stared out the window, hoping it really was the end of the arguing and trying to find some peace. Camping apparently isn't any of our cups of tea, and being out here had us all on edge.

That's when I saw it. A flash of red. It was quick, but not fast enough to be an animal. It seemed to have disappeared too quickly to have been running away, too, which is what an animal would have done. I would have been able to still see the creature running through the forest if it _was_ an animal, but since I couldn't, I knew it wasn't. And if it wasn't an animal running, it was something else hiding.

Someone else was out here.

"Hey, guys," I called out to the girls in the back room. "I don't think we're alone."

If Bex giving Macey a broom didn't stop them from arguing, that sure did. All three of them quickly made their way to the front room and looked out my window. By then, though, it was gone.

"What are you talking about?" Macey asked, searching the dim woods for any sign of movement.

"There's something out there. Something red," I explained, moving towards the door. Stepping out onto the porch didn't help much in trying to find whatever was out there, though, since the tree tops basically blocked out most of the midafternoon sunlight. I searched the through the trees as best as I could, but there was no one in sight.

"Cammie, I think you've gone mad," Bex said, walking past me and descending the steps with Liz and Macey behind her.

I stood still for just a moment more, hoping to get lucky and catch a glimpse of color again, but when that failed, I followed my friends down the dirt path.

"I swore I saw something, Bex," I explained, still looking around.

"You're being paranoid, Cam," Macey answered, not even bothering to stray her eyes away from the path ahead.

"Yeah, don't you think your mom would have said something if they were other people out here?" Liz offered. I guess she was right. My mom wouldn't want us to worry about trespassers or anyone that could put us in danger, so she would've mentioned it if there were other people out and about our cabin.

"Besides, how can you even see out here? It's sort of—"

There was a slight snap of a twig a few meters off the path from us, and a blurring of blue was caught in my peripherals. By the sudden stop midsentence, I could tell Bex knew it, too.

"Bex?" I whispered.

"I saw it," she confirmed. Without moving her head, she scanned the area around her, taking in every detail from the shape of the trees to the way the leaves laid on the ground. I knew this because I was doing it, too.

"Let's go," Macey suggested, taking the lead by a rather quick pace. "The sooner we get to the pavilion the sooner we'll be safe."

"I agree," Liz said with a shakey voice. "If someone else is out here, I don't want to be in their line of sight."

"We already are," Bex and I said at the same time. We both knew someone was following us by the way the snaps from twigs and the crackles from leaves came from around us. There was more than one out there, which only confirmed what I had hoped to be wrong; this definitely wasn't an animal. Animals don't hide in groups.

"All the more reason to get out of here!" Macey urged us to pick up the pace. Her and Liz were already a good distance ahead of Bex and I, and they weren't slowing down.

"Alright, Macey, we're com—"

Another snap.

Which meant movement, but neither Bex nor I saw anything.

All four of us froze, wondering who was out there, why they were following us, and if we were in danger. When another sound came from the surrounding woods, Macey, Liz, and Bex took off running, hoping to make it to the pavilion before whoever was out there had caught them.

Before I knew it, I was alone.

* * *

I nervously walked on ahead by myself. I knew if I ran, I couldn't pay close enough attention to my surroundings and I could unfortunately lead myself into harm's way.

It wasn't until I saw another person walking ahead of me that I became aware of how concentrated I was on the woods around me, where there seemed to be no more activity within it.

A person out in the open was a good sign, so I decided to catch up to whoever it was. Hoping it was one of my roommates who had come to their senses and slowed down to wait for me, I picked up my pace. It wasn't long until the shape of the person ahead of me became apparent that it belonged to a teenaged boy. The way he walked with his hands shoved in his pockets and the slight drag of his feet confirmed that it was definitely a boy.

One that we were not aware of being out here camping alongside us.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for all your reviews (: I can tell that some of you are very excited about my story, which hopefully is living up to your expectations !**

**Obviously, I am not Ally Carter, so I do not own any of the Gallagher Girl characters ):**

**3. The Encounter**

There was a boy in front of me. I'm not usually one to be thrown for a loop, but at that moment, that's exactly what I was.

Why hadn't we been told that we would be accompanied by boys? You would think that would be something to mention to someone who attends an _all-girls school_!

I must not have been paying close attention to what I was doing, because I stepped on a twig that cracked under the pressure of my foot. The delicate snap of the small stick wasn't extremely noisy, but it was loud enough for the boy to quickly spin around and investigate.

I don't know what I was expecting to see, but it definitely wasn't what stood in front of me.

The boy resembled my ex-boyfriend, Josh, in more ways than one. He had dark hair, enticing eyes, and a stare that could put anyone to shame, although he was slightly shorter and broader through the shoulders.

That was the second time in less than a minute that I was caught off guard, and I was ashamed by it.

"Hey," he said with a half head nod once he realized I wasn't a threat.

"Hi," I replied, hesitantly. I suddenly became aware of how messy my hair must've been and how smeared my make-up probably was due to the insanely long bus ride to the camp grounds, and I had this weird feeling of wanting to run and hide. "You haven't seen a few girls run by have you?" I asked, hoping that he would point me in their direction and I'd be on my way, leaving only an embarrassing and awkward memory behind with him.

But he shook his head and apologized. "Sorry, no. I didn't even know girls were out here." He looked around as if more of us would appear (which isn't really far off considering where there's one of us Gallagher girls, there's usually more close behind).

"Oh, okay," I said, awkwardly picking up speed to get away as fast as possible, without it looking too obvious.

"Are you here for a school thing?" he asked, falling into step beside me. He pointed to the crest on my school uniform and asked, "The Guggenheim Academy?"

As much as I enjoyed having some company out in the middle of woods that may or may not be infested with invisible prowlers, I really wanted to get away. My friends and the rest of our class were probably waiting for me to arrive at the pavilion, and strolling along chit-chatting with some boy wasn't going to get me there any faster.

"Gallagher Academy," I corrected. I tried to pick up the pace, but he always managed to stay with me.

I was beginning to think that I was going to have to flat out tell him that I had to go when he asked, "You in a hurry or something?"

"Actually I'm supposed to be meeting my class at the red pavilion as soon as possible, and I'm kind of running late, so—"

"So, we better pick up the pace then, huh?" he suggested.

"We?"

"Sure. I'm going with you."

"Um, I think I can handle it," I snapped, because of how frustrated I was to be running late. Not only was my cabin the last one assigned, giving everyone a head start, but my roommates also took off running, leaving me as the only one left in the woods.

"Look," the boy said boldly. "It's dark. You're by yourself. And I heard noises coming from the woods earlier, which isn't safe considering I'm pretty sure there are bears out here."

Seriously, who starts these rumors?

I sighed, knowing full well that there was no escaping this guy. He would basically be walking with me anyway considering there didn't seem to be any more paths branching out from that point on. "Fine."

As we walked on through the darkening woods, neither of us spoke. I guess I scared him enough to get my point across—I wanted to get out as fast as possible. The only noise that could be heard was of our feet hitting the dirt and of the birds in the trees.

"So, do you have a name?" he asked as if it was normal to be talking to a stranger during a school field trip out in the middle of woods located in the middle of nowhere.

"Cammie," I answered.

The boy just smiled and asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Without the consent of Macey, I wasn't sure if this guy was actually flirting with me, but I was almost positive he was! Which, let me tell you, never happens. "Look, thanks for the chivalry and all, but it isn't necessary," I said, stopping a few yards away from the clearing of the woods. "It's just up here." I pointed to the red open building barely visible through the trees.

The boy nodded. He smiled at me one last time, then headed for the clearing on his own. Maybe had it been under different circumstances, I wouldn't have pushed him away and would have actually gotten to know him. I hadn't even learned his name. But I was in a hurry to get back to my class, who was probably cursing me under their breaths knowing they couldn't start dinner until everyone was back.

I rushed over to the pavilion, trying to ignore the death stares I was receiving from a few hungry girls. I sat down next to Bex like I always did at school, still avoiding anyone's eyes.

"Now that everyone has arrived," Mom said, glancing in my direction. "I would like to introduce our camp guide. He will be designing fun activities for us and I expect everyone to give him the same respect you would give me or your teachers. Ladies, please welcome—"

"Where were you?" Liz whispered across the table, cutting my mother's speech short for me and my roommates.

"Yeah, we thought you were kidnapped or something," Macey added.

Bex shushed us and gave us a slight glare, begging us to be quiet before my mom or one of our professors got involved. She turned back to watch my mom with her full attention.

I rolled my eyes and continued, "It's a long story. I ran into this guy who wouldn't leave me alone. And he kept asking me all these questions, like if I had a boyfriend and—"

"A boy asked if you had a boyfriend?" Bex asked with a twinkle in her eye. Leave it to Bex to join the conversation at the mention of boys. "Ooh, Cammie, sounds like you have an admirer."

I turned to Macey, knowing full well that she was the boy expert of the group, although Bex was close behind. Macey nodded, agreeing with our British friend.

I shook my head. "He was just making small talk," I argued, refusing to believe a guy that looked like that would be interested in a girl that looked like me. I mean, I wasn't completely ugly. I just wasn't supermodel-gorgeous like Macey or Egyptian-goddess-beautiful like Bex. Even Liz had this fairy-like beauty about her that made me feel inferior sometimes. So, it was understandable that I had my doubts.

"But that's not the point, guys," I said quietly as a few girls' heads turned to see who was being the distraction during our Welcome Dinner. "The point is who is this guy? And are there more of them?"

"Cammie's right," Bex said after thinking for a moment. "We weren't told about anyone else camping here. And then this boy showed up after we heard noises following us through the woods. That's pretty suspicious."

Liz's eyes widened once she realized what Bex was implying. "Do you think he was the one following us?"

"Either him or his friends," Macey explained.

"Why are there boys following us?" Liz asked, genuinely concerned. Liz was a scientist in the making—the kind that _had_ to find out every answer to every probable question.

I shook my head, having no reasonable answer for her. "I don't know, Liz, but we're going to find out. And we're going to find out who these guys are."

My roommates didn't have to say anything to know that they agreed with me. As soon as we got back to the cabin, we would begin the investigation, no doubt. The looks on my roommates' faces told me they were already running options through their heads.

Unfortunately for them (because I know how excited Bex was about solving the mystery), none of their plans were necessary.

At that moment, our camp guide had finished talking and my mother once again took center stage. She cleared her throat and pasted on a big smile. "Excuse me, ladies, but I have an announcement to make." She looked at the back of the open pavilion and extended her hand in the same direction. "It's my pleasure to introduce the Blackthorne Institute."

Heads turned. Mouths dropped. No one was prepared for the entire sophomore class of an all-boys boarding school to be joining us on our class field trip. Even though my roommates and I knew they were out there sharing the woods, we had no idea that we would indeed be _sharing the woods_.

It was actually expected of us to be spending time with these boys. Hunting, tree-climbing, bird-watching, bon-firing—you name it, we were going to be doing it with these unknown mystery boys.

As the boys strode down the far aisle and sat at the table in the front-left corner, not an eye strayed. Not only were these boys a huge threat to our safety (they _were_ following us after all), but they were also a huge threat to our emotional well-being. As much as I hated to admit it, the boy I had ran into in the woods was very good-looking, and so were all his classmates.

Us girls were in for one rough camping trip.

"Cammie, which one was the one you talked to?" Liz whispered, scanning every boy that walked by her.

Before I could even locate him, I heard Eva Alvarez comment on the "hot one in the corner." Every girl at the table turned to see a boy at the edge of the pack. A boy with dark brown hair and broad shoulders.

A boy who crossed his arms and leaned against his table and smirked in our direction.

As the other girls at our table giggled and began whispering amongst each other, I noticed that he wasn't smirking at the girls who were oogling over him.

He was smirking at me.

Without breaking the eye contact, I replied to Liz.

"Him."

**So, I took some parts straight from the book and some parts I changed to fit the storyline. Also, I know that Bex and Cammie still have the qualities and characteristics of the really good spies we've come to know and love, but **_**they are not spies**_**. I'm sorry if it's confusing, but hopefully it just makes them seem like super cool, super intelligent, badd-ass boarding school girls ;P. Also, just to clarify, in the books it seems like there are a total of like eight girls in Cammie's sophomore class, but in this story, there are lots more…we'll say like 40 (:**

**Anyway, thanks to those who are reading and/or following and/or favoriting my story (: If you guys have a fanfiction Gallagher story, I'd love to read it ! PM me the title and I'll look for it ! I'm trying to find more to read cause I feel like I've read them all ! **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: this one is a long one, and nothing extremely important happens.. but bear with me !**

**I do not own the Gallagher girls or the Blackthorne boys… but don't we all wish we owned Zach Goode ? *swoon***

* * *

**4. The First Night**

"How's everything going so far, kiddo?" my mother asked me hours later while my classmates, the boys, and I all sat around a few different bonfires.

I shrugged, knowing that today wouldn't be the weirdest day of the field trip now that boys were involved. "Fine, I guess."

My mom smiled a warm, gentle, all-knowing smile that she's perfected through the years as a mom. It was a smile that said everything-is-going-to-be-alright. A smile that hasn't been wrong yet.

"Cam," she sighed, still smiling. "This isn't going to ruin your class trip. It might actually add some value to it."

Without looking at her, I could feel her smile grow bigger, probably remembering a time when her and my dad might've gone camping—a story I've only heard such few details about, like all the rest.

"Promise me one thing," she added before standing up. She stood between me and the fire, blocking the light and the warmth momentarily. She became a shadow, and although I couldn't see her mouth move, I could hear her words. "You'll make an effort to embrace the collaborative nature of this exchange experience."

It sounded easy enough. _Promise to try and have fun while camping with the boys._ But even as I promised her, I knew it would be more difficult than that.

Not only will their guys be all over our girls, but by looking around the campfires I could already see that our girls might be all over their guys as well.

"Cammie, isn't this exciting?" Liz asked, prancing over and sitting down beside me. "We get to spend the next few weeks with actual boys!"

Before I could answer, one of these incredible creatures walked by, causing Liz to jump up quickly and reach out to grab his arm.

"Oh, Cam! This is Jonas. He's really into science," she said, swooning a bit.

"Um… hi," he said, shifting from one foot to the other.

"Hi, Jonas," I said, feeling just as uncomfortable.

"Jonas is going to show me how to calculate the speed of light using marshmallows!" Liz exclaimed with such enthusiasm that only Liz could muster up for a voluntary science experiment.

They walked away, Liz hanging on Jonas's arm, leaving me to sit on the log by the fire. Alone.

Well, I thought I was alone.

"So, we meet again, Gallagher Girl," said a familiar voice. Although, technically, we didn't actually meet back in the woods because he never introduced himself.

However, that didn't stop me from finding it out. It seems that when a guy is extremely attractive (which I guess this one wasn't _unattractive_), people tend to talk about him more. And by people, I mean girls. And by more, I mean all the time.

So it didn't take long to find out that the boy from the woods was the unattainable, mysterious, and oh-so-ever charming Zachary Goode.

And although I did tell him _my_ name, he made no effort to remember it. Yeah, he was charming alright.

"Indeed we do, Zachary," I replied, not entirely excited about his sudden presence. Although, he did smell a lot better than the burning wood, so that was a plus.

A small spark of mockery flashed across his face as he smirked once again and leaned back, stretching his arms back behind his head. "Oh, so you found out my name, huh? What, did you go around asking about me?" This time he smiled, silently laughing, and probably thinking that he caught me obsessing over him like every other girl.

I rolled my eyes. "Please." I scooted closer to him, pointing in the direction of a Brad Pitt look-alike who was at the far firepit talking to my British friend. "That guy told me your name. Yeah, he said something about how he could lift, like, twice as much as you could cause he's a real man." Now, it was my turn to smirk.

"You think you're real funny, don't you, Gallagher Girl?" he asked, standing up and holding out his hand for me. When I didn't take it, he raised an eye brow with a questioning look. "What? You don't get treated like a lady back in Roseville?"

"Oh, is that what you call being hit on by strangers?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You know, I heard you were like this. Stubborn and independent." He spoke in a way that I couldn't tell if he was joking or if he was serious, even if there was a big smile painted on his face.

I stood up myself and followed him over to where the s'mores supplies were being held, suddenly remembering how starved I was. "You've heard of me?" I asked as I took the marshmallow stick he was handing me, followed by a fluffy marshmallow.

"Sure," he said without glancing up from the table where he was grabbing himself a marshmallow. "You're the famous Cammie Morgan—daughter of the beautiful Headmistress Morgan, and best friends with the 'it-girls' of the Gallagher Academy, Rebecca Baxter, Elizabeth Sutton, and Macey McHenry."

"You've done some research, I see," I replied, sitting back down on my log and leaning over to hold my marshmallow in the fire.

"I'm not done," he stated as he sat down right beside me, even closer this time. Not only could I smell the soap he used this morning, but I could actually recognize the scent—Axe Gold Temptation. Although I made a note that it smelt better on him than anyone else to ever wear it, I tried to ignore it as he continued talking. "You're really good at going unnoticed and flying under the radar, which often keeps you out of trouble…even when you should've been caught." He glanced at me momentarily, and for a second I thought I saw something new in his eyes. Something that said I-know-a-secret-and-it's-about-you. But before I could double check, it was gone. "And lastly, you stay with your grandparents during school breaks. The grandparents on your dad's side, who had passed away years ago."

That was it. Everything everyone ever knew about me, Zach now knew. I didn't know whether to be impressed, or slightly frightened. "Okay. So you did a lot of research," I corrected myself.

He shrugged, as if to say _it's no big deal_, but the smile spreading across his face told me that he felt proud of what he accomplished. He managed to find out more about me than I thought people actually knew, and all without speaking to me to do it. I take back what I said earlier. I was definitely impressed.

"So tell me about yourself now, Zach," I said as I removed my marshmallow from the fire and squeezed it between my two fingers testing to see if it was soft enough to eat yet. When there was no response, I turned to look at him. Instead of a face full of marshmallow like I was expecting, I saw that he was staring past me with that annoying smirk of his. I turned around to see what was so interesting and I found a group of girls standing in a little huddle staring at Zach and giggling.

"Wow," I said, turning back to the boy who moments earlier I was trying to ignore any attraction for, and now was disgusted by. "Unbelievable."

His eyes shifted back to me, and an entertained smile broke out across his face. "What?"

I rolled my eyes. "I was trying to get to know you as a person and you're ignoring me to make a pass at a few girls."

Raising an eye brow and maintaining that stupid smirk, he asked, "Jealous?"

"Of what? Some bimbo girls that didn't even notice you just hit on all five of them at once?"

Laughing, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed his hands together. "So is _that_ the kind of guy you think I am?" He bit his bottom lip and stared at me, waiting for me to answer.

Truth was, I kinda hoped he wasn't that kind of guy. I realized that subconsciously, I was a bit upset that he acknowledged those girls not because I was jealous, but because I hoped he wasn't the stereotypical bad boy player type. But that hope was starting to dwindle. "Is this the part where you deny it?"

Still biting his lip, he shook his head. Looking me dead in the eyes, he said, "No. It's the part where I let you find out for yourself. Let you get to know the real me." He smiled as if that was supposed to mean something to me. As if getting to know the real Zachary Goode was some sort of prize and I should be honored that he offered to let me see behind the walls.

But that was nothing like how I felt. Getting to know the real Zachary Goode was not something I wanted to stick around for.

So I stood up, shook my head, and sighed. "Sorry, Zach, but I already tried."

And I walked away.

* * *

After all the excitement that went on that day, I was ready for bed. I had struggled trying to keep my eyes open on the walk back to my cabin, which is really saying something considering how creepy the woods were. All I planned on doing once inside my warm cabin was laying down and going to sleep.

My roommates had a different plan.

"Cammie, aren't the boys _so_ nice? Jonas said I was the best lab partner he's ever had," Liz said, still swooning over how scientifically perfect Jonas was.

"Grant thinks I'm intriguing," Bex said from her bed, smiling slyly. "_And_ he calls me his British Bombshell."

"So, Cam," Macey started, folding her legs Indian-style on top of her bed. "Tell us about Zach." She grabbed her pillow, laying it across her lap and leaning forward as if she was expecting some elaborate story and she was on the edge of her seat in anticipation.

"What about him?" I asked, laying down and closing my eyes. I had had enough of boys for one night, and I was slightly concerned that my roommates hadn't. From the sound of it, they were preparing to stay up all night swapping boy stories.

"Come on, Cammie," Bex groaned. "Every girl was practically drooling all over him and he spent the entire night trying to get _your_ attention."

"Was he? I didn't notice," I said with my eyes still closed. I hoped that if I seemed too tired to talk, that they would let me go to sleep peacefully. But I knew my roommates, and when they were rejuvenated with so much to talk about, there was no peaceful sleep.

I could already tell that with the boys being here and the staying up all night listening to my roommates talk about their wonderful encounters, tomorrow was going to be a whole new kind of difficult. Especially if what Bex said was true; that Zach really _was_ trying to get my attention.

And even more especially that I secretly hoped he was.

* * *

**Sorry for it being long ! Unfortunately I like to write a lot, so it probably won't be the longest chapter… again, sorry ! Also, I realized after I wrote it that there wasn't a big event that happened… I should probably get on that and get one rolling huh ?**

**Special shout outs to those who reviewed my last chapter !**

**Believe514:** I'm sorry that it sometimes takes me so long to update. I write a little bit every day, and sometimes it takes forever for me to be satisfied with what I have. Unfortunately, I don't feel like this is my best chapter, but I didn't want to keep everyone waiting again lol. But I'm super glad you enjoy my story (:

**Greeneyedsmirker:** love the name by they way ;) and thank you ! I hope you find this chapter amazing too lol

**Liela54352:** I sometimes feel like whoever I'm dreaming about is secretly Zach... so you're not alone there lol and there definitely will be some Zammie action, however, it's not exactly right way.. so stay tuned (:

**Miaadventure:** I don't know if there will be any of that stuff, but I feel like it's almost a necessity when writing this kind of story, right ? lol and thanks for being so supportive and responding to my most-likely-annoying messages… I owe you one (:

**A big thank you to everyone who reads my story even if you don't leave a review ! Hope you're all enjoying it (:**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So this chapter is even longer than the last one :/ sorry ! Also, I don't know if this chapter is dramatic enough or cute enough or if you guys will see it as just a filler chapter… But hopefully you guys like it anyway !**

**I am not Ally Carter, and therefore I do not own the Gallagher characters (:**

* * *

**5. The Race**

I watched as the blonde boy in front of me had raised his bow and let the arrow fly towards the target. Even from all the way back here, I could tell he missed the bull's eye by a few inches. He was the fourth boy I had watched shoot archery this morning, but the first one to miss the center. At that moment, a few stations down from us, another boy hit the target closer to the edge of the red dot, but still in the bull's eye no less. How realistic is it that these boys all knew how to shoot a bow and arrow?

I walked up to one of the shooting stations, picking up the silver bow and placing a matching arrow in the arrow rest. Pulling back the string, I took my aim. Knowing there were eyes on me, I took a deep breath and let go, releasing the arrow and sending it towards the target. I watched as my arrow sunk into the target's dead center. I smiled to myself, relieved to see that my archery skills weren't as rusty as I feared. "Too easy."

"Wow, Cam," Macey said from her shooting station next to mine, lowering her bow. "I never knew you could shoot an arrow."

I shrugged, still staring at my accomplishment located seventy meters away. "We used to do it at Gallagher before you showed up," I explained, finally turning away.

"And we'd still probably be learning it if it wasn't for Liz and her lack of aim," Bex said, shooting an arrow of her own and hitting the target in the white ring just outside the bull's eye. She mumbled under her breath, probably cursing Liz using some fancy British words no one else knew.

From behind me, I heard Liz scoff. "Hey!" She exclaimed, offended that we blamed her for the suspension of our favorite sport. "I didn't _actually_ hit you. I missed by, like, a whole foot!"

Bex rolled her eyes, and took her aim again.

I thought back to the day that Liz finally hit the target in practice. She had been so excited, she lost control of her next arrow and sent it flying across the gym, where it landed right above Bex's head on the rock climbing wall. Unfortunately, one of our oldest faculty members had been inside the gym at that moment and saw the whole thing.

"Professor Buckingham still banned it," I said, getting ready to shoot another arrow.

I took another deep breath, preparing to take my second shot, when I heard a boy further down the row of stations shout, "Bull's eye!"

Grant Newman was celebrating with a round of high fives from nearby boys, ending with Zach.

As much as I hated him, I watched as he shot an arrow perfectly through the air, feeling a sense of jealousy as it hit the farthest target located a hundred meters from where he stood. I couldn't tell if he hit the bull's eye since I was down the line quite a ways, but by the smirk on his face, I could only assume that he had.

I turned away, frustrated with how impressed I was. I shot my second arrow and watched it miss the target completely. I dropped my bow and huffed, more upset now that I just missed after everyone witnessed Zach make a seemingly impossible shot.

And that was before I knew I had an unwanted audience.

"Don't worry, Gallagher Girl," Zach said as he walked up to my shooting station. "It's not as easy as I make it look. But I'd be happy to help."

I glared at him, feeling a rage build up inside me. Unable to help myself, I grabbed my last arrow and placed it on my bow, ready to prove myself to those boys who thought they were better than us girls. Without even thinking, I shot it down the open field. A hush came over the group as this arrow split the first one still stuck in the bull's eye in half—something I've only heard of when learning archery years ago but never actually saw, let alone performed.

After the shock wore off, I smirked at Zach, playing it off as if it was my normal shot.

The silence continued until Joe Solomon, the camp director, announced to everyone to follow him back to the pavilion for lunch time. "Group One, good job this morning! Let's keep up the energy for the obstacle course this afternoon."

"How did you do that?" Zach asked, still shocked that my archery skills had out shined his.

"Easy. I pretended it was your face," I said, placing the bow back on its rack and following the rest of Group One.

I was not expecting for him to smile and lean over to Bex, who was walking between him and Grant, and say, "She's so cute when she's mad."

I didn't dare acknowledge him, though, because I knew that's what he had wanted. Instead, I kept walking straight forward, picking up the pace and gaining space between me and the arrogant, obnoxious, big-headed egomaniac that was Zach Goode. I knew that if I could just make it back to the pavilion, I wouldn't have to deal with him for another hour or two while all the groups ate lunch.

* * *

Joe Solomon had a way about him that told people he was used to having all eyes on him, and being at camp with a bunch of high schoolers was no exception. Not only was he exceedingly hot (think Brad Pritt in _Mr. & Mrs. Smith_ kind of hot), but there were rumors flying about a budding romance between him and…my mom.

And as he stood in front of Group One with my mom at his side, I think it's safe to say no one was listening to what he was saying, but was watching what both their bodies were doing instead. Although they stood at a distance and their muscles remained relaxed, everyone was hoping they would slip up and show some kind of sign. Everyone except for me, that is. This was my mother's love life we were talking about here.

If either of them knew about the rumor, neither of them showed it.

Joe talked to all of us with such ease—he had a gift for grabbing and holding our attention. If I hadn't known his profession was a camp guide, I would've believed him to be a teacher of some sort.

"When you were split up into groups, you were given a number and a letter," he explained smoothly. "Can I have 1A over here and 1B over there?"

Following instructions, we all moved to the designated spots for the two subgroups and I noticed that Zach was on the opposite side of Joe. Pleased with my luck, I bit back a smile.

"These are your teams if you ever needed to get into smaller groups, like this afternoon," he continued. But then he stopped. And my mom didn't jump in to add anything. They just _stood_ there, silently. Staring at us.

Finally, Tina spoke up, knowing silence was never easy for her to handle. "Um, Joe? Why do we need smaller groups for an obstacle course?"

With a satisfied smile, he explained, "Because, Ms. Walters, teams 1A and 1B will be _racing_ through the obstacle course."

I looked around at all the members of my team, sizing them up and deciding on whether they would be useful. Thankfully my roommates were all A's like I was, and so was the largest boy from Blackthorne, Grant, making my team the bigger threat. Well, maybe if Liz wasn't on it. I love her to death, but when it came to sports or athletics or anything to do with coordination, Liz was not the girl to count on to excel. You heard the archery story…

I could see that I wasn't the only one satisfied with our team. Bex's eyes lit up when they fell on Grant, and Macey locked eyes with me and smiled, silently announcing that we weren't going to let the other team win without a fight. Even with Liz's tendencies to stumble like a new born baby deer. Unfortunately, she was the only one who wasn't happy with the way the teams were arranged. Her love interest was on the other side of Joe, bumping fists with Zach.

As I turned back to Joe and my mother, I caught a glimpse of him. He was staring at me, smiling like this was the most fun he's had in a while.

I smirked, shaking my head at how ridiculous it was that he could possibly think he would beat me in the obstacle course. Playing along with his little game, I winked, hoping to send a little fear his way.

But that only caused him to smile more mischievously as he mouthed to me, "Bring it on."

* * *

The obstacle course wasn't like your ordinary obstacle course. But then again, I noticed this camp wasn't your ordinary camp.

As a team, we were instructed to build a pyramid with weighted building blocks, and then raise that pyramid until it hit the button located 40 feet above it, causing the other team's flag to fall. The team's flag that remains hanging is the winning team.

It sounded like a fun way to build a team's bond, but once we saw the actual obstacle course part of the task, I realized it was anything but. We wouldn't be working as a team, but more like a relay race. Once one team member finished their task, the next one would start on theirs. Instead of building up a team's bond, it was more like proving your worth to the team. If you messed up your own section, it was your fault the team lost. Although I was ready for anything, the thought still gave me anxiety.

"Alright, teams. Let's see what you're made of," Joe said, sounding as if he doubted our abilities to accomplish the course. Well, _I_ for one wasn't going to let him be right.

Liz was at the front of the course because it was the only part that didn't require some kind of skill. All she had to do is jump into a pit of mud and find a key. I noticed that Jonas was also the one to conquer the mud pit for the other team (something Liz said later that night was what made them soul mates). Although it was really messy, and to be honest kind of gross, she had no issue moving through the thick mud and finding one of six keys hidden. She passed it off to Shane Dalton, a boy slightly bigger and leaner than Jonas, who alternated between jumping over and crawling under thick tree logs with ease. By the grace he had with his movement and the agility he attained, I figured he was a hurdler in track and field back at Blackthorne.

After Shane gave the key to Macey, she raced up a small set of steps and walked across a skinny four-inch wide beam. Being the daughter of a cosmetic heiress, she claimed to have connections in the fashion world (which explained all the designer clothes and shoes she had in her closet back at Gallagher), giving her multiple opportunities to walk in fashion shows and perfect her balanced one-foot-in-front-of-the-other strut. Needless to say, she made it across that beam without so much as a wobble.

I was standing at the end of the beam, waiting for Macey to make her way across it. Once she handed me the key, I dove into the pool, making sure I had enough air in my lungs to make it to the bottom and open the box closest to the front. There were six in total, each in a line going further back across the pool's bottom.

After retrieving the weighted block from inside the box, I swam across the pool to give it to Bex, who was in charge of creating the pyramid on the platform.

After a while, my team was in the lead by two blocks from what I could see, and I was getting tired from all the swimming and holding my breath. I didn't want to admit that my task was probably the hardest, but the fact that Zach was the most athletic on the other team and _he_ was doing the same part of the course as I was, it kind of gives a testament to how hard it truly was.

I told myself that my team was counting on me, and that I still had something I had to prove to these boys. So, determined to win, I kept going without slowing down. The last box was the hardest to open, though, because it had multiple locks. Although I willed for my hands to move faster and get all three unlocked in one breath, things can only move so fast when under water. I had to take two extra breaths to get the stupid box unlocked, giving Grant a reason to shoot me death glares.

I was finally able to unlock the box and retrieve the last (and heaviest) block. Once Bex had it in her possession, she placed it at the top of the sturdy pyramid. I was impressed by how stable the pyramid was. When Grant, Andrew Paxton, and Liam Martin pulled on the rope to raise the platform it stood on, it didn't waver one bit. It stayed steady the whole way, giving the boys an easier time maneuvering the platform.

I climbed out of the pool just in time to see Team B's flag fall, signaling my team's victory.

"Congratulations, Team A. You just won your first challenge," Joe said to us, still sounding unimpressed. In his defensive, I guess, he had been working there for quite some time and has probably seen a numerous amount of groups accomplish the obstacle course. But still, I thought we did it in a pretty impressive time.

My mom handed me a towel, winking to me and smiling.

"Team B, better pick up the slack," Joe said before turning and walking away with my mom right behind him.

As I began to walk back to my cabin, I could feel someone following me. I slowed down, hearing the footsteps behind me slow down as well. I picked up the pace and sure enough, so did whoever's was behind me.

"What's the rush, Gallagher Girl?" Zach asked, still trailing behind.

_I'm trying to get away so I don't have to deal with you and your antics, that's the rush,_ I thought to myself. Of course I didn't say that, though. I just shrugged and ran the towel through my dripping wet hair.

"I'm tired," I responded. "Winning takes a lot out of you."

Chuckling, Zach shook his head. "You don't think you actually won, do you?" he asked with an entertained, enticing smile.

"I'm pretty sure Joe just said that we did, Zach," I said while I continued to walk away. I couldn't stand the fact that I sort of enjoyed his mockery and that I appreciated his attempts to get under my skin. It meant that he was trying to get my attention by giving me all of his—something that I had secretly wanted since I ran into him in the woods.

"I let you win. What kind of gentleman would I be if I hadn't?" he asked matter-of-factly with a slight shake of his head, causing his wet hair to send water droplets running down his face. I tried not to notice how ruggedly handsome he was with his dark hair, matching dark eyes, and his broad shoulders which were exposed, along with his muscular chest and washboard abs.

No, I definitely did _not_ try to notice. Unfortunately, you'd have to be blind not to.

So, I did.

And I suddenly realized that I was standing in front of the most adored boy in America…in a bathing suit. I thought I wanted to get away before; now I just wanted to run away and hide for the rest of camp.

I looked away without saying a word and wrapped my towel around myself. The spark in his eyes told me he knew I was uncomfortable in the situation, and that gave him more pleasure than winning some stupid obstacle course. I could tell he wanted to say something, but he was holding it in with a big amused smile.

"You could say thank you, you know. I helped you look good in front of everyone by letting you open your boxes before I did," he said smugly.

I rolled my eyes. "You just can't accept the fact that I'm better than you, can you, Zach?"

Finally, he let out the laugh he had been holding back. It was a deep, beautiful laugh that made my stomach flutter, but at the same time made it turn from nausea. Why was he laughing, and was it at me?

"Gallagher Girl, your abilities may be better than mine appear to be," he started, finishing up his burst of laughter. He took a step closer to me, filing in the minimal space that was between us to begin with. He was close enough now that the drop of water that had been running down his chest fell off and landed on my foot. He was close enough that I could still smell the Axe Gold Temptation now mixed with the chlorine. "But not everything is as it seems," he said, looking me straight in the eye. As he backed away he called out to me, "You'd be smart to remember that," almost as if it was a warning.

I turned towards my cabin I was suddenly aware we had arrived at, thinking about what he meant by it.

I turned back to ask him, but he was already gone.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading everybody ! Like I said, I'm not sure if this is considered a dramatic chapter or what so don't hate me ! I do have some ideas floating around and they kind of tie into the ending so stick around please (:**

**Shout out time !**

**I am Hylla daughter of Bellona:** thank you so much, I really appreciate it (: I hope you liked this chapter too !

**MollyRuns15:** thank you, I'm hoping it's still living up to your expectations

**Miaadventure:** the chapters will keep getting cuter (: I don't want to give anything away, but there will be some upcoming super cute chapters ! (:


	6. Chapter 6

**6. The Bon Fire**

After my first real day of camp activities, I needed something to relax my racing mind. Showers had always done the trick, so I had taken a really quick one just to put myself at ease. The shower itself is always relaxing, but also the feeling of being clean helps me feel better as well.

As I walked out of my room and into the living room of my cabin, I ran a towel through my drying hair. With a sigh of relief, I sat down into the coziest chair in our cabin and cuddled up. I was finally able to start reading my favorite book since none of my roommates were around, giving me even more pleasure. What started out as a really stressful day was turning into a really peaceful night.

It's not that I didn't want to hang out with my roommates or any of the boys; it's that I just wanted to be alone for a while to collect my thoughts and calm my mind.

So snuggling up in sweats and reading _The Hunger Games_ was my first choice.

I had only been reading for no longer than twenty minutes when I heard a knock at the door. Knowing that my roommates all had keys, and they were the only people I truly cared to talk to, I ignored it.

The person on the other side of the door, however, didn't even bother to wait and see if I was going to answer it or not. The door flew open and out of my peripherals, I saw a tall broad figure lean against the door frame. He crossed his arms across his chest and smirked, and if I hadn't already known who it was, that would've been a dead giveaway.

Zach.

I continued to ignore him as I read on about Katniss's journey through the arena while the group of careers—plus Peeta, who I imagine is every girl's dream boy—chased her up a tree.

I heard him chuckle, which caused a small shiver run down my back. His laugh _was_ very alluring, after all.

"This is how you're going to spend your night?" he asked before pushing away from the door frame and walking over to me.

Not feeling the need to explain myself, I sighed and shook my head. "This is how I relax. Today was kind of stressful if you hadn't noticed."

By that time, he was sitting in the chair next to me, close enough that I could feel his eyes linger on me as I read. "I didn't notice, because I tend not to stress," he said, grinning.

"Oh yeah?" I asked, looking away from my book for the first time since he entered. "And how'd that work out for you today?"

I noticed that he wasn't wearing the same outfit as before. Now, he was wearing a snug green T-shirt that blended perfectly with his skin tone and made his eyes even more impossibly green. As my eyes connected with his, an amused spark appeared along with a seducing smile.

"Ooh, ouch," he exclaimed, still smiling and beginning to stand up. "Alright, someone has some unstressing to do. Come on." He held out his hand for me to take, which I ignored.

I closed my book and crossed one leg over the other. "And where will we be going?"

With a deep chuckle and a shake of his head, Zach answered, "You'll see. Now come on, Gallagher Girl!"

Reluctantly, I grabbed his hand and he helped me to my feet. As he led me out the door, I playfully added, "This better not be part of a plan to get me alone so you can kill me."

That stupid smirk appeared on his face as he laughed, which kind of actually made the smirk sexy.

"If it is, there's nothing you can do about it now," he said, continuing to lead me through the woods and toward the front of the campgrounds. I realized that he was correct in a sense. He walked behind me, probably thinking that he could stop me if I tried to turn back around, and he had my delicate hand in his larger, more masculine one, along with his other hand on my hip as he ushered me along.

As soon as we reached the clearing in the trees, I could see the big red and orange flames engulfing the large pile of burning wood. It was quite a bit a ways still, but I could see tiny black figures sitting and standing and walking around the pile of fire. It looked as if I was the only one who had not been there originally.

"A bon fire?" I asked, turning to Zach as we approached the sophomore class of both schools. "You tore me away from my book for a bon fire?"

"Do you know how unbelievably lame you sound right now?" he asked as he let go of my waist and dropped my hand.

"I'm trying really hard not to be offended," I told him, crossing my arms across my chest and cocking a hip.

"Well, you should be, because offense was intended," he claimed as he began to stroll over to the small group friends on the other side of the bon fire from where we stood. He took small, slow steps as if he was wanting me to follow him. When I didn't, he looked at me with pleading eyes. "Can you just let loose? Spend the night with your friends and just enjoy yourself, Gallagher Girl."

Thinking about how differently my night had turned out than I had been expecting, I stubbornly said, "You think you're more interesting than a post-apocalyptic world?"

"Competing with The Hunger Games _is_ quite the challenge," he started, mocking me and my desires to go back to my quiet cabin and read. He gave me a look that told me he thought it was completely ridiculous, which I didn't entirely disagree with. Then he smirked and finally finished, "But yeah, I think I'm a bit more interesting."

I smiled. "You have quite the ego, Zach," I stated as I finally decided to follow him to where both our groups of friends sat. We walked slowly along the outside of the benches that surrounded the bon fire, making sure to stay out of anyone's way. "You would think losing in the obstacle course today would've humbled you out."

"Zachary Goode, humble?" I heard an unfamiliar voice chuckle as a shadowed figure walked up to us. The closer he got, the easier I could see some identifying characteristics. He was shorter than the average boy his age, and he walked as if all eyes were on him, even though mine and Zach's were probably the only two. "He has an ego the size of the Grand Canyon. Nothing can make him humble."

While I struggled to recollect who this boy was, Zach had no issue. Laughing, he replied to the stranger's comment, "Why be humble when you know how good you are?" Turning to me, he introduced the boy with the blonde hair and dark brown eyes. "Cam, this is my buddy, Dillon. Dillon, this is Cammie."

"Nice to meet you," Dillon said with a kiss to the back of my hand.

Although it was sort of strange, I liked the unusualness and romanticness to the gesture.

"You too," I said, slightly dazed by his sudden grace. When walking over to Zach and I, he had such an arrogance to his stride, but now as he stood in front of me with the enchanting smile plastered on his face and the tingling sensation on the back of my hand, he seemed as if he was Prince Charming—just maybe without the devilishly good looks.

That's when I realized I _did_ know this boy. I had heard someone mention him earlier at dinner, I just didn't know exactly which Blackthorne Boy they were talking about. But now I could connect the dots and see that it was definitely this one.

"You're Dillon Jones, right? The guy who completed the dark box in under three minutes?" I asked, recalling what was said hours earlier.

"That'd be me," he answered, sounding even more arrogant than Zach had, and something told me his ego wasn't partially a joke like Zach's was.

"Out of curiosity, what exactly is the dark box?"

Weighing his words as if what he was about to say was top secret and we weren't allowed to know, Dillon answered, "Let's just say it's the most challenging obstacle course here and it's inside a big…well, dark box basically. The average completion time is eight and a half minutes."

He smiled proudly, like that was supposed to impress us, which it sort of did. Average completion time was over eight minutes and he did it in under three? That's truly impressive. But I didn't say so.

"But I've heard a lot about you, too, Cammie," he added before I could say anything, which would've left me speechless if I wasn't at a loss for words already.

"You have?" I asked, sounding just as surprised as I felt.

He nodded, explaining, "The girl who split the arrow in two? Why wouldn't people talk about that?"

Feeling slightly embarrassed considering that was only pure luck, I told him, "I'm not as good as I seem."

He raised an eye brow in the most delicate manner I've seen a boy do. It almost brought on an eerie royalesque look to his face, again reminding me of a less attractive Prince Charming. "No? I mean, a girl as beautiful and deadly as you? That's pretty impressive if you ask me," he finished with a wink, rendering me speechless again.

As he looked over my shoulder and waved at someone past me, he said to Zach and me, "I'll see you guys later," before walking past us.

I watched as he walked away, thinking about what he had said. Beautiful and Deadly? _Me?_ Never had I ever been called either of those things, and yet, this strangely enticing boy had done just that.

I could feel Zach's eyes on me, staring at me as I watched his friend walk away. Zach may have been more attractive, more mysterious, and—some would say—more charming, but Dillon was a whole new story. He didn't look at me as if he knew all my secrets and the amusement in his eyes wasn't from annoying me. He had this look in the deep brown of his eyes that came from a more mysterious place, and it was seducing in a way. I was drawn to it.

I was so fixed on the disappearing figure that I hadn't noticed my modelesque roommate appear beside me.

"Don't fall for it, Cammie," Macey said as she joined me in watching Dillon walk away.

"Fall for what?" I asked, not understanding. I wasn't falling for anything anyone was doing, nor was I planning on it.

"His little act," she answered, turning to me. "I've talked to a few guys and they all said to stay away from him. He's a player."

I really appreciated her concern and her trying to protect me, but I wasn't interested in coupling up with any of the Blackthorne boys, and that included Dillon. But I could see a small hint of jealousy in Zach's eyes as Macey warned me not to get involved with his buddy, and I will never admit this, but I kind of liked it.

Trying to maintain that jealousy inside of him, I said to Macey, "Come on, Macey. We don't even know these guys. How can we trust what they're saying?"

"Well, Zach's his friend, and you trust Zach, right?" She asked, eyeing the two of us.

I suddenly stiffened, not knowing what to say. Did she really just ask if I trusted Zach? I just met him! And although he's the only boy I actually interacted with on this camping trip so far, it did not make him trust worthy.

Luckily, Macey didn't wait for an answer. She was still speaking to me when she turned to look up at him and said, "Why don't we ask him?"

He shook his head and replied, "I'm not answering that, Macey," with a serious tone, but a small smile spread across his face.

Smirking at him, she said back, "Figures. Bros before hoes, right? You're not going to confirm anything and damage his reputation just to please a couple of girls." She eyed him and circled around him as he stood there, relaxed and glancing back and forth between her and I. Without letting any emotion show on his face, I could see that he was trying to hold back a laugh as he shook his head.

"By not answering, though, you're kind of doing just that," Macey continued, smirking again as she circled back around to the front and facing him. She folded her arms across her chest, waiting a few seconds for him to defend himself before shrugging and walking away.

The entire time, I had been watching Zach and noting all his movements. He was extremely relaxed while she was noticeably accusing him of keeping quiet because of the supposed "bro code," and he even found some humor in her circling him like she was supposed to be intimidating.

But now, as he stood there, watching her walk away and thinking about what she had said and what it all meant, he looked worried—scared almost. I could see the uneasiness in his face as he clenched his jaw, emphasizing his already rugged jawline.

"Zach?" I asked, wondering why he suddenly grew quiet. "Do I have anything to worry about?"

If there was something about Dillon that he was hiding, I wanted to know. After all, Dillon _was_ expressing interest in me, and Zach got jealous enough to think that I might be interested back. So, as a friend, he should tell me if Dillon was someone I should be weary of. Right?

Realizing that he now had to respond, he cleared his throat and looked down at his feet for a second before looking back up, still avoiding my eyes. "No," he said, staring off at who knows what. I was too busy staring at him, waiting for him to look back at me, to see exactly what or who he was staring at.

Finally, he turned to me. The playfulness was gone, and instead, there was a sadness to him as he started to say, "Just…" before catching his voice and causing him to clear his throat again. He avoided my eyes once more as he ran his hand through his hair and warned, "Be careful, Cam."

* * *

**A/N: Sooooo, what do you think ? (: I feel as if there are some Zammie moments, such as when Cammie notes all his attractive features and him holding her hand and stuff, but at the same time, they just met like a day ago…so it's like natural for them to not be all over each other and yeah lol. Also…Dillon Jones. I know he wasn't at Blackthorne, and he wasn't really a big deal in the first book...HOWEVER, because he saw Cammie walking to Gallagher with her classmates and he tells Josh about it, Gallagher's secret was exposed to Josh, risking the school's entire cover being blown ! So he's kind of the start of the domino effect of Cammie breaking up with Josh and him finding out about Gallagher. SO I thought that because Dillon caused everything in Cammie's life to fall apart momentarily in the books, he would be a good character to include in my story as well, just to bring in some drama (:**

**I'm sorry if the ending of this chapter was kind of rushed or like…written poorly…I just really wanted to update tonight cause I spend so much time in between updates. SORRY !**

**Shout out time!**

**Plain-Is-Prettiest:** I loved their love-hate relationship throughout Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy, so I really wanted to include that in my story as well (: and in my opinion, this chapter has a little bit more of that lol

**Foodislifeyo:** Of course there's going to be more drama and more Zammie ! This _is_ a Gallagher fanfic after all ! (:

**X2INFIN3TY-B3YONDx:** Thanks, I thought the bow and arrow scene was pretty good too, not to toot my own horn lol but I think it was the best writing I've done in regards to the detail and the flow of the story… at least that's what I was going for lol

**MollyRuns15:** GOOD ! I'm so glad I'm keeping up with the expectations, that's all my goal is—to tell a good, interesting story that fulfills that Zammie void all you Zammie lovers out there have (I'm a victim of it too…)

**Miaadventure:** lol (: yeah I tried to make him seem super hot, but without making it seem as if Cammie was just adoring him like all the other girls. And thank you so much !

**Kitty-2002:** …did I update soon enough for you ? probably not…it's been like 10 days…I'm sorry lol

**Greeneyedsmirker:** Um I hope this was enough Zammie/mystery for you ? I know there wasn't really any action, and to be honest, I don't know if there really will be any. If there is, it'll be like the obstacle course that was in the last chapter, not like the spy action there is in the books. Sorry ):


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This chapter is kinda long, so bare with me ! Also, it has some Zammie action in it ;) …in my opinion at least lol.**

**Thank you guys so much for all of your reviews ! Honestly they make me want to keep writing and make each chapter even better (: so thank you guys so much I really really appreciate them. (:**

**I am not Ally Carter, so I do not own the Gallagher girls or the Blackthorne boys**

* * *

**7. The Battle**

Waking up early is exactly like your muscles being sore after working out; the first day is hard, the second day is impossible. And that morning was no exception.

My roommates were up and moving around at seven o'clock in the morning, throwing out outfit suggestions and hair ideas while I laid in bed, praying that I could ignore them enough to fall back asleep.

I couldn't.

Which I hated myself for an hour later as all four of us walked through the lightening woods to meet up at the pavilion for breakfast with the rest of the campers.

"Did you know that Jonas was a finalist for the Fieldstein Honor last year?" Liz asked, sitting down across the table from Macey and me. "Isn't that really…wow."

"Grant showed me this brilliant wrestling move last night," Bex joined in with the swooning of their dreamy love-interests. "He's been state champion in wrestling since seventh grade. He's bloody awesome."

As everyone shared their own stories about the enchanting Blackthorne boys, I noticed that one name was never mentioned—the most captivating Blackthorne resident there was, according to some. So, if he was the most wanted boy on Earth, then why was there no swooning over him?

I wasn't the only one who noticed the absence of the legendary Zachary Goode from all the stories that were being bounced around the table. Of course Tina would notice and feel the need to say something.

Walking over to stand across the table from me, stopping behind Liz and Bex, she asked, "How about you, Cammie? Any stories about Zach?"

I didn't necessarily like Tina; never have. But in that moment, I was severely aggravated by her question. What was even more aggravating was that all the girls around us stopped talking and faced me as well, waiting for my response. My roommates included.

"Why would I have stories about Zach?" I snapped, annoyed.

She rolled her eyes at me, obviously thinking that I was pretending to not understand so I could keep my "precious stories" to myself. As she did this, she explained, "Come on, there's obviously something going on between you two."

"Tina!" I gasped, because there were boys _everywhere_ surrounding us, and I'm sure if the right person heard, Zach wouldn't be too far from hearing it either. "What are you talking about?"

"You know," she answered, raising her eyebrows and winking. I don't know where Tina got the idea that this kind of conversation was her business, considering we weren't really friends and we both have had our personal differences and grudges against each other for years now. "Don't look now. He's staring at you," she added, barely looking past my shoulder at him.

Turning my head subtly to the side, I could see him from my peripherals and sure enough, he was talking to Joe and staring in my direction. I couldn't be entirely sure it was at me since I only saw him out of my peripherals, which isn't exactly a clear picture to be honest, but he was definitely looking in my general direction.

"So," Tina asked again, "do you like him?" She leaned in closer, putting all her pressure on one hand in the middle of the table and speaking barely louder than a whisper. "Because, according to my research, you technically have dibs on Zach, since you talked to him first. If you want him."

Finally fed up with Tina thinking she deserved answers, I decided I was going to give them to her. Maybe then she would leave me alone. "Tina," I said slowly as I leaned over the table and practically whispered the words, "I officially relinquish my claim to Zach."

A devious smile crossed her face. "Cool," she said before turning on her back heel and strutting over to the boys table on the other side of the pavilion.

As I slid back onto the bench, everyone else returned to their own conversations, once again discussing how amazing the boys were.

"Some girls just can't get enough attention," I heard Macey say as she swirled her eggs around the plate in front of her.

I let out a snort as I mentally agreed with her. Tina was definitely one to love knowing all the facts so that she could be the center of attention.

Taking the last bite of my bagel, I heard Joe announce from the middle of the open building, "Groups one and two." After everyone turned to see our attractive older camp guide in the center of the tables, he added, in a deep mysterious tone, "Follow me."

* * *

I tried to remember to breathe as I wandered through the woods aimlessly hours later. With the heat and the anxiety building up, it was getting harder and harder to do so, especially with having to wear the heavy helmet that acted as an oven for my head the entire time while playing this ridiculous game. As I strayed further and further into the woods in the direction of only God knows where, my mind was racing. I had begun panicking a while back, and even though I had tried to calm myself down numerous of times, my breaths continued to shorten and I continued to sweat profusely in every crevice of my body. I knew it was just a game, but the fear of drifting into the woods without any idea of where I was or where I was going, and knowing there were people out there after me, made me feel as if my life was truly in danger.

I was lost in my worries and unreasonable delusions when I heard a twig snap not too far from where I stood. I quickly turned around, scared that it was someone from group two, who I was playing against along with the rest of group one. I feared that I was moments from being eliminated from the game and just about to endure a sharp pain in the process.

But neither of those things happened.

When I could see the two boys standing behind me, I released the breath I had been holding and allowed my heart's accelerated beat to slow back down.

Zach noticed the tension escape from my body, causing him to chuckle. "Has somebody never played capture the flag before?" he asked, referring to my panic-induced behavior.

Sighing, I took off my helmet and whipped my hair around, allowing the breeze to cool myself off. With all the sweat that had been forming, the slight breeze felt as if I had rubbed ice all over my neck and face, cooling down my flushed cheeks and making it easier for my heart to resume to its normal beat.

"Never with _these_," I answered, raising my paintball gun and bringing it into his limited view due to the helmet he was still wearing. I wiped off a bead of sweat that was beginning to roll down my forehead, not bothering to care that the two most attractive boys from Blackthorne were standing right in front of me. Besides, I had been wearing the same kind of helmet for hours now and I knew that seeing a detail as little as sweat was nearly impossible to see through the goggles.

Grant chuckled and, with much enthusiasm, retorted, "They make it better! Now it's more exciting."

"Now it's more terrifying," I corrected, only slightly shocked that these two would find this kind of intense situation exhilarating. "You could get shot at any moment."

"That's what makes it exciting!" he exclaimed with the biggest grin plastered on his face.

As Zach looked around the forest that surrounded us, he calmly stated, "Guys, maybe we should be quieter and more alert. Like Cammie said, we could get shot at in any moment."

Although it didn't surprise me that he would be good at this game, it did however shock me that he would be the voice of reason out of the three of us. Especially since I was the one who was on the verge of having a panic attack and who was constantly checking her back for any signs of movement.

Grant nodded in agreement, raising his gun into position.

Surrendering to peer pressure and to the anxiety that was returning, I put my helmet back on and followed the boys as they walked on ahead through the woods.

After a few moments of silence, Grant side glanced at me before asking, "So, Cammie, are you as good at shooting a gun as you are at shooting an arrow?"

Knowing I probably wasn't, but refusing to admit to inferiority, I merely said, "Not sure. I've never done it before."

Grinning, he lowered his gun with a small rattle from the little paintballs located inside it. "Well, there's a first time for everything," he said as he motioned to the girl wearing a blue jacket walking through the woods in a crouched position, probably hoping that remaining low to the ground would help conceal her from any enemies wearing red, like the three of us were. Her back was to us as she crouched behind a bush, exposing the perfect shot for any of us to take.

Grant looked at me and motioned for me to do the honors. Although I didn't want to actually shoot anybody, much less one of my own Gallagher sisters, I had something to prove to these boys. So I fell behind a tree, covering myself in case she happened to turn around before I could take the shot, and aimed my gun right at her back. She must have spotted something, because she stood up enough to walk while still remaining low to the ground. Picking up her speed, she bounced from tree to tree, making it harder to keep my gun trained on her.

Deciding to go for it before the guys got impatient, I pulled my trigger once I had my aim locked into place. The little plastic ball of paint hit her in the spot on her back that would've been a fatal hit if she had been facing me and had it been a real bullet, for it was the exact spot her heart was located. The ball busted, splattering a bright red paint across her back that almost resembled blood, making it harder for me to actually stomach.

The girl stood up straight, probably from the shock and the pain the small ball created, and turned to see her back was covered in paint. She took her helmet off and stormed off, knowing she had been eliminated.

Smiling, looking almost impressed, Grant turned to me. "I guess you are as good."

I shrugged, not wanting to admit to it being, once again, pure luck that the shot had turned out to be as incredible as it had been.

Before anyone could respond, a paintball hit the tree behind me and spattered paint all over the bark. Without even thinking, I ducked behind another tree, hoping I was safe and out of the shooter's line of sight.

Just as fast as I had taken cover, Zach had spun around in the direction the paintball had come from and almost instantly, the boy up on top of the hill had paint all over the front of his chest. The boy stood up and removed his helmet just like the girl had, but he glared at Zach before he stormed off and out of sight. It wasn't until a few moments passed that I realized that I knew that boy. It was Dillon—the boy who was supposed to be Zach's equal, but now would be demoted to second best (which would then make him Grant's equal, but if you asked me, Grant was much more impressive than Dillon…just saying).

"We should split up," Zach said, again acting as the voice of reason. If I had any doubts about Zach being a great paintballer, they were immediately diminished the second he took the shot at Dillon. Almost as if it was instinct for him, he had his gun locked on Dillon's chest in mere seconds. And I mean, it was _quick_. Like blink-and-you'll-miss-it quick.

"The three of us together are a bigger target," he continued as if nothing out of the ordinary just happened. As if he didn't just respond and perform like some scary Special Forces Sniper.

Grant again nodded in agreement. "I'll head back to base, you two keep looking for their flag," he ordered. Once Zach nodded, he turned and left. How he knew which way to go, I'll never know.

As he walked through the woods, he looked over his shoulder multiple times, stopped to listen to the woods around him for any unusual noises, and changed direction a few times, creating a zig-zag shape.

I rolled my eyes at his over-exaggerated behaviors and said to Zach, "It's like you guys think you're FBI agents, or spies, or something."

As he took off his helmet, he smirked at me. Even with the dirt smeared across my goggles, I could see a spark appear in his green eyes.

"I _am_ a trained gunman, Gallagher Girl," he said, raising an eyebrow as if he was daring me to rebut.

Which, of course I did.

Rolling me eyes, I replied, "I'm sure you are in your dreams." I picked my gun back up, ready to continue moving in search for group two's flag.

As he followed me, I heard him laugh. "Did you not see that beautiful shot at that sniper guy up there?" he asked in disbelief that I could possibly argue his skills.

Continuing to walk ahead without turning around, I argued, "Zach, it was Dillon with a paintball gun. I'd hardly call that a sniper."

"Oh yeah?" he asked as he hopped in front of me, stopping me in my tracks.

I crossed my arms across my chest, waiting for him to explain.

"Then why was he the one guarding their flag?" He turned me around so that I was facing the hill that Dillon had been positioned on before he was eliminated. As he pointed up at one of the trees that rested on top of the higher ground, I could see the blue fabric hanging from it.

I sighed, upset that he had found it before me. He definitely was the master at this game, and I for one hated admitting it.

I watched as he sauntered up the hill, obviously pleased with himself. Grabbing the flag from a low hanging branch, he glanced over his shoulder. Reading the jealousy on my face, he asked, "What's wrong, Gallagher Girl? Aren't you happy we won?"

"We haven't won yet. We still have to get it back to our base without getting shot," I reminded him.

As he glided back down the hill with his natural grace, he smiled gently at me. Closing in on the gap between us, he started, "Cameron Morgan." Grabbing my hand, he continued, "Will you accompany me in returning the flag to the base and agree to be my backup against the enemy?"

Although it was a proposition to trek back through the woods and defend him against other campers shooting paintballs at us, it might as well have been a marriage proposal with the soft and desiring tone he spoke with and the affectionate eyes he was staring at me with.

With a small laugh, I nodded.

Letting go of my hand and smiling, he went to put his helmet back on. "I'm trusting you, Gallagher Girl," he said, teasing me. "Don't make me regret it."

Pushing him slightly, I told him to start going back to the base. "I've got your back," I added.

We started to walk back through the woods with him leading the way (I don't think I need to remind you that I was having a panic attack earlier from being lost, do I?). We had made it far without any signs of other campers, even ones from our own group. Either we were way out along the outter edges of the woods, or a lot of people had been eliminated, but either way we were in the clear.

After a while, we encountered an abandoned looking bus. The tires were all missing, there were multiple dents all around it, and the whole thing was covered in paint, including the windows that for the most part remained intact. I remembered walking past it when leaving the base, giving me a sense of relief knowing that we were heading in the right direction. Although I trusted Zach, it was still a good feeling.

"I'm slightly disappointed we haven't seen anybody," Zach said, lowering his gun. "I was hoping for a bigger challenge."

As if on cue, a paintball hit the side of the bus right above his head. He grabbed my hand and pulled me around the back of the bus to hide us from the shooter's sight, slamming me into the metal and pushing his weight against me, hiding me from any possible threat.

With his body pressed against mine, I could smell his cologne even after being in the hot sun and sweating all day. I looked up at him to see him looking down at me. When our eyes met, he smirked. "You know, I thought _I_ looked pretty good in this battle gear, but you definitely have me beat. I never could resist a woman in uniform."

He was so close to me, I could feel his breath brush across my face. His hand grazed mine, sending sparks through my fingertips and making my heart skip a beat. I couldn't tell if he had done it on purpose or if it was by accident, but I guess I will never know because at that moment, more paintballs hit the bus. Reacting as if he actually _was_ a trained gunman, he spun off of me and held his gun out around the corner of the bus, shooting the girl in the leg as she ran towards us down the hill.

He turned back around, this time leaning against the bus as he stood next to me, as we both removed our helmets so that we could breathe.

"You're pretty good at this, huh?" I asked, knowing it may have been an understatement of the century. Zach wasn't just good; he was extraordinarily talented.

But he just shrugged, refusing to take any credit. "I have to protect my partner, don't I?"

As he looked down at me and into my eyes, I could see a softness to his usually rugged face. His eyes lit up with a small spark lurking just behind the dark green. I couldn't help but smile up at him. As much as I loved to hate him and tease him, he really was as charming as everyone claimed him to be.

He took in my entire face, moving his eyes from my blonde hair, to my blue eyes, and down to my lips. Even without looking at his, I could tell a smile was fighting its way across his lips as he bit his bottom one. I caught myself thinking about how inviting his lips were as his eyes silently dared me to make my move.

Before I could unconsciously lean in and practically set myself up for rejection and humiliation, I turned away from him, hoping he couldn't sense my discomfort. As I started to walk away, he silently grabbed my hand and turned me around. He put a finger to his lips, signaling for me to be quiet. He pointed his head to the bus, picking up his gun and walking around to the opposite side.

As I followed, I could hear some rustling coming from inside. The look on Zach's face said that he heard it too, and his head was back in the game as he ran through scenarios at a speed of a million miles per hour.

He reached down to his belt and unclipped a round plastic sphere, throwing it up in the air slightly and catching it back in his hand. He looked at me with a wide grin and whispered, "Paint grenade."

Pulling the tab off the top, he threw the plastic ball into the bus through a broken window and waited for a sign that the grenade had worked. Suddenly, we heard shrieking and I could see paint splatter against the windows from inside.

Following loud stomping footsteps down the bus's aisle, the bus's door opened and a group of girls filed out, all covered in red paint. The girls continued to scream about the paint ruining their hair and getting in their eyes while Zach busted out laughing. The sight was sort of amusing, but I couldn't help but notice that half the girls covered in paint were wearing red jackets, signifying they were from Zach's and my group. Meaning we just eliminated about a fourth of our team.

But Zach continued to laugh as if this was the most fun he had ever had.

Tina, infuriated by the attack, shouted at him, "What the hell, Zach! We're on the same team!"

Coming to his defense, I interrupted, "Why were you hiding in a bus with group two members?"

Still angered, Tina wiped the paint off her face and snapped at me, "We were all scared. We didn't want to get shot," sounding as though it was obvious.

Going unnoticed by the maddened girls, Zach winked at me, telling me he was impressed by my active participation in the game unlike the other girls.

"Great, now I'm out," Tina growled, glaring in our direction. "Thanks, guys."

Grabbing my hand, Zach lightly tugged on me to get me moving as I had momentarily forgotten our mission. "Come on, Gallagher Girl. _We're_ still in the game, and we've got some important things to do," he said, glancing in Tina's direction.

If this was a cartoon, she would have steam coming out of her ears right then, that's how mad she looked. Her face physically turned four shades redder than normal as she watched Zach and me run away from the scene.

Once we were far enough away, Zach laughed and shook his head. "That Tina," he started, unable to finish his sentence. "She's a piece of work, huh?"

"You have no idea," I said, rolling my eyes, thinking about all the times Tina's emotions got out of control which, unfortunately, was way too many to count.

As I looked back at Zach, I saw the small building in the distance past his shoulder. I had a sudden burst of hope as I asked him, "Is that the base?"

Turning around to see what I was referring to, he replied, "I think so."

"Finally!" I let out a sigh of relief, my body suddenly feeling a hundred pounds heavier from all the exercise I had endured that day. I almost dropped my helmet out of my hand from the weight of it becoming too much to hold onto, but I managed to keep a firm grip on it knowing how much trouble I would be in if I was caught not wearing it.

Zach looked just as happy as I was to see the base, and just as tired as I was, too. His head dropped as he looked at me, and even his smirk lacked luster. The only true sign of life on his face was the sparkle in his eyes that never really seemed to go away. "What do you say? Are you ready to become the heroes of group one?"

Laughing softly, I put my helmet back on and gently shoved him in the direction of the building, telling him to go. Smiling, I reminded him, "I've got your back."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading ! Sorry it's kind of long… I feel like they're all going to be long, so I apologize in advance. Anyway, how'd you guys like it? I kind of got stuck for a while, and then I had a burst of inspiration and got writing right away ! And before anyone asks, the part about Tina asking Cammie if she likes Zach was taken from CMH, because I like to incorporate some of the original story into my own (:**

**Also before anyone asks this too...Zach, Grant, and all the other Blackthorne boys ARE NOT SPIES or "trained gunmen" like Zach said JOKINGLY ! They are normal teenaged boys who just so happen to be extremely talented and skilled at things lol Sorry for the confusion :/**

**Shout out time!**

**Jellybean1017:** thanks for your kind words (: I'm super glad you're liking the story.

**Greeneyedsmirker:** hahhahahaha ! that's the best comment I've ever had, thank you (': maybe next time you should go to the bathroom before reading ? just a thought ;)

**X2INFIN3TY-B3YONDx:** haha no he didn't kill someone… that'd be a much more twisted story than I have in mind lol but it'd definitely make a great story haha

**IrishLuck:** that's kind of what I was going for… except he's not supposed to be a spy so maybe I'm over doing it a bit ? Anyway, I'm glad you're liking it so far (: and thank you for your review, it really made me want to update sooner…however it didn't really work out that way. Whoops

**GallagherGurl4eva:** thank you so much ! love your comments (:


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